SERVE Social Case Study for Retrofitters/Contractorsservecommunity.ie/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/SERVE...3 Case study basic information: Name of contractor/company: The subject of

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SERVE Social Case Study for Retrofitters/Contractors Case Study No.3 8/4/2011 Tipperary Energy Agency Fiona Cloherty

CONCERTO is co-funded by the European Commission

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Contents Case study basic information:................................................................................................................................. 3

Name of contractor/company:........................................................................................................................... 3

Address/location: ............................................................................................................................................... 3

Year of starting/founding: .................................................................................................................................. 3

Type of services offered: .................................................................................................................................... 3

Market coverage: ............................................................................................................................................... 3

Works implemented so far in households: ........................................................................................................ 3

Level of engagement with the SERVE project: ....................................................................................................... 4

Opinion on the benefits of SERVE: ......................................................................................................................... 4

Impact on reduction of energy consumption:.................................................................................................... 4

Help to local economy/creation of new employment: ...................................................................................... 5

Environmental protection: ................................................................................................................................. 5

Other benefits: ................................................................................................................................................... 5

Opinion on issues/problems with SERVE: ............................................................................................................... 6

Access to information for consumers (for example, regarding companies performing retrofitting) and/or

contractors: ........................................................................................................................................................ 6

Adequate amount of grants/subsidies to motivate homeowners: .................................................................... 6

Any technical problems (unforeseen): ............................................................................................................... 6

Other issues: ....................................................................................................................................................... 7

Opinion of homeowner’s knowledge of Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) technologies: .......... 8

Opinion on a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best). ...................................................................................................... 8

Opinion on whether lack of homeowner knowledge is an issue/problem for increased utilisation of RES/EE

technologies in Ireland: ...................................................................................................................................... 8

Other issues: ....................................................................................................................................................... 9

Opinion of the future of RES/EE in the residential sector in Ireland: ................................................................... 10

General opinion: ............................................................................................................................................... 10

Identified main barriers:................................................................................................................................... 10

Identified main drivers: .................................................................................................................................... 10

Opinion on what should be done immediately/ in the near future to facilitate increased RE/EE application:11

Other comments: ............................................................................................................................................. 12

Overall satisfaction with the SERVE project: ........................................................................................................ 12

Do you think SERVE had a measurable positive impact ................................................................................... 12

1. For contractor personally: ....................................................................................................................... 12

2. For the RE/EE contractors in general:...................................................................................................... 12

Other comments: ............................................................................................................................................. 12

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Case study basic information: Name of contractor/company:

The subject of the third case study is BER Assessor Donal Cleary.

Address/location:

His company’s name is Ollyville Ltd, based in Borrisokane in North Tipperary.

Year of starting/founding:

Donal has been involved with the SERVE project for the entire span of the initiative.

His company was founded eight years ago (2003). At present he is the sole employee.

Type of services offered:

Donal describes the services offered as Energy Assessment, Architectural services,

Site Management; Surveying and Setting-out.

Market coverage:

Donal rates his market coverage as regional in that his work takes him to Counties

Limerick, Offally, Clare and Tipperary. Currently however Donal’s work base is

primarily in Tipperary and Limerick.

Being a BER Assessor Donal would not have worked as joint contractor on any

SERVE projects as his is an independent profession. A large part of his work included

liaising with contractors, North Tipperary County Council and the Tipperary Energy

Agency.

Works implemented so far in households:

Pre and post retrofit/upgrade BER Assessments.

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Level of engagement with the SERVE project:

In his work with the SERVE project he would have preformed sixty ‘pre’ and 43

‘post’ retrofit BER Assessments. He notes that not all houses that had ‘pre’

Assessments necessarily had ‘post’ Assessments. This difference is accounted for by

prospective clients choosing not to continue with upgrades.

Although Ollyville may be considered one of the smaller firms associated with the

SERVE project Donal maintains that:

„For the past couple of years it has directly and indirectly accounted

for up to 40% of his business.‟

Donal also maintains that the level of unforeseen but requisite involvement with

clients, over and above simply performing the assessments kept him:

„Involved directly with clients and potential clients and made me more

aware of client‟s difficulties with energy upgrades.‟

Opinion on the benefits of SERVE:

Impact on reduction of energy consumption:

Given that customers had to undertake a range of both mandatory and additional

retrofit measures Donal estimates that realistically the reduction in energy

consumption may be as much as 30%, but this would vary depending on house type:

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‘.....Obviously it depends on the house type, but on the whole about

30%‟

Help to local economy/creation of new employment:

Donal’s opinion is that new companies may have formed as a result of SERVE, but

only indirectly. It is more likely that pre-existing companies took on extra staff.

However he does note that the market is now very competitive.

„...Any existing companies took-on more people....it‟s been getting more

competitive the whole time.‟

Environmental protection:

The fact that many people replaced highly inefficient boilers, as well as implementing

cleaner technologies, such as wood burning stoves, has to have had positive

environmental consequences in terms of emissions alone, according to Donal. When

asked to speculate whether environmental concerns ranked highly with SERVE

customers he concluded that they lagged far behind financial concerns.

Other benefits:

Because SERVE both demanded and enabled a comprehensive, high spec retrofit

Donal feels that a very tangible benefit for the customers has been the increased level

of comfort they now have in their homes.

„Another thing that needs to be focused on, aside from the financial, is

comfort in your own home. That you‟re sitting by the fire not sitting on

top of it.‟

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The level of auditing of works carried out, prior to signing-off, brought educational

gains for all involved in terms of increased quality control. Donal appreciated the

practical approach to problem solving and the fact that the auditor’s had first hand

practical knowledge of the types of problems that can crop up. The rapport between

the contractors, assessors, the TEA and North Tipperary County Council that typified

this working model, was commended.

‘It (auditing) keeps everything tidy........it‟s handled as a check.....the

people we were dealing with in TEA..... it was a practical approach,

and once you have that any of us can handle it........they knew what

they were talking about.....‟

Opinion on issues/problems with SERVE:

Access to information for consumers (for example, regarding companies performing retrofitting)

and/or contractors:

Donal accepts that the information prospective clients would need is there and

accessible. However h e claims the list itself has drawbacks in that it is very extensive

offputting and baffling for customers. He also maintains that culturally Irish people

‘do things by word of mouth’ and that because of this SERVE clients asked him to

recommend contractors to them, rather than choosing from an extensive list.

Adequate amount of grants/subsidies to motivate homeowners:

Donal thinks that without the combination of both the SERVE and SEAI grants the

adequacy of the financial package for clients could be termed ‘borderline’ at best,

especially in light of the amount of measures required and the up-front financial

outlay.

Any technical problems (unforeseen):

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The only technical problems Donal encountered were in relation to houses that had

had some upgrades done in the previous decade or so (such as dry-lining). These

upgrades were not up to current standards and to get those people through ‘the

system’ was more difficult. It also increased their long term spending on their house.

„The people who had nothing done with their house –it suited them

best.‟

Other issues:

As well as being a benefit (because measures could be chosen to suit the particular

house) the number of measures required in SERVE was also a drawback. Some

people found the amount and type of works required off-putting, especially the

heating controls. Donal estimates that in his experience 15-20% of people who

disengaged from SERVE did so because of the heating controls/plumbing element of

the package.

Donal priced his services quite keenly to get work through SERVE. However the

scope of the work evolved and broadened to a point where the price did not always

cover the time he invested in explaining both the SERVE scheme paperwork and the

measures/technologies involved. Even though people attended public meetings where

everything was outlined, and received information packs, because Donal was their

first port of call as a BER Assessor, he would in a lot of cases have to go through the

measures and the paperwork with the homeowners. He maintains that if he had not

‘handheld’ 50% of (his) potential SERVE customers through the paperwork, they

would have opted-out.

„You were often seen as a representative from the Council and from the

TEA, even though you weren‟t,....... and spending a few hours

explaining that (the scheme) and you were almost having to project-

manage for them as well in a lot of cases...........‟

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Added to this is Donal’s impression that people don’t value the BER as anything other

than a certificate that enables them to draw down the grant. It had no technical

relevance for them other than this.

„......50% of them (customers) at least, are not concerned by what

grade their house received just so long as they get an assessment that

gets them across the line for this (grant).‟

Opinion of homeowner’s knowledge of Renewable Energy (RE) and

Energy Efficiency (EE) technologies:

Opinion on a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best).

Donal rates homeowner knowledge of both RE/EE technologies at 5. The level of

knowledge about regulation specification insulation for attics and walls is still pretty

poor.

„There‟s still a bit of a problem getting people to understand the

technical side of things.....what they think is good (insulation), isn‟t

really good.‟

He maintains that renewables are irrelevant and out of reach for the majority of

people because of the expense. People should understand and implement

comprehensive house insulation first and then be approached about/engage with

renewable. He goes on to say that the main motivator for uptake of these technologies

is financial rather than concern for the environmental or sustainability. He highlighted

an educational/awareness raising need to this end. He expands on this by saying

people tend to shy-away from renewables like solar, wind and wood pellet boilers.

Opinion on whether lack of homeowner knowledge is an issue/problem for increased utilisation of

RES/EE technologies in Ireland:

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Not only is lack of homeowner knowledge a barrier to increased utilisation of RE/EE

technologies in Ireland Donal has noticed it is responsible for a growing trend where

people use inappropriate technologies/measures that may be futile in the attempt to

make a home warmer and cut fuel bills.

To illustrate this point he explains that he recently visited a house where the

homeowner had gone to the expense of getting a solar water heating system and

external insulation (without SERVE grant assistance). At the beginning of his

assessment he went to the attic to find there was no insulation there whatsoever. He

also found that the homeowner had no idea of the significance of attic insulation.

This highlights a chasm in homeowner’s knowledge of the most basic/effective (and

least expensive) measures to take, whatever their motivation. It may also show the

importance of getting independent advice before dealing with contractors and the

advantage of the prefetrofit BER Assessment required in the SERVE initiative.

„...You‟ve got a long way to go before you can think about renewables.

You want to get your house wrapped up first and get it right.‟

Other issues:

Donal estimates that 50% of people who have had heating controls installed through

SERVE are not using them to their full potential to gain maximum fuel efficiency. He

admits that as with mobile phones and computers, there will always be those who do

not, nor ever will, utilise the device to its maximum. Although they understand the

thing in principle they either cannot or will not come to grips with the heating consul.

In some instances the complexity of heating controls, perceived or otherwise, deterred

people from opting for that measure even if it was appropriate for their dwelling.

„.....when you say “upstairs and downstairs separate, hot water

separate”, they go along with it but the amount of people who can use

the programmer properly after- I‟d say it‟s less than 50%.‟

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Donal also feels that post retrofit ventilation is an area that needs addressing as there

appears to be a grey area in the implementation of relevant legislation and regulations.

Opinion of the future of RES/EE in the residential sector in Ireland:

General opinion:

Donal feels that current building regulations should take care of current and future

builds in respect of EE and RE. The area of refurbishment is one where Donal

recognises a need to educate both builders and DIY enthusiasts.

„There are a lot of people who don‟t realise how far regulations have

come, how far standards have come.‟

Education for homeowners is a strategy Donal offers for the benefit of the EE and RE

sector. To educate people on the basics (EE), let them feel the benefits of comfort and

smaller bills and then promote renewables.

Identified main barriers:

Donal identifies the main barrier as being financial. Even with the SEAI grants that

are available, Donal maintains that there are a lot of people who cannot afford basic

insulation measures for their houses.

Identified main drivers:

Donal cites the desire for a warmer home (in light of the previous two winters in

Ireland); the availability of grant for insulation and upgrades, and the increasing cost

of oil as the principal drivers for the uptake of these technologies.

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„Financial and comfort as well............the comfort factor is huge.‟

Opinion on what should be done immediately/ in the near future to facilitate increased RE/EE

application:

Affordability is a major issue for those considering using these technologies. Donal

highlights a section of the population who may not be able to afford the entire cost of

the works, but who can afford the difference between the overall cost of the works

and the grant they will receive on completion of works.

For example external insulation costs €6000, the grant assistance is €4000 and if the

household can gather €2000 it appears that the work is ‘do-able’. However,

contractors insist on being paid upfront and the grant cheque arrives some weeks after

completion. This means that even though the overall sum is available (albeit

fragmented), the option still remains beyond the reach of many.

To counter this Donal wonders whether there might be some means of moving

forward the grant payment, or paying it directly to the contractor, so it can be coupled

with the homeowner’s to finance the work at the beginning. He does admit that

regulation of quality with such an arrangement would be difficult but claims the

industry itself (contractors) is trying to tackle the issue through private contracts with

customers.

„.....The contractors won‟t do the work without the money being paid

because they‟re afraid the grant won‟t come through.........if they

(government) had a system to pay out the grant before the work is done, or

some kind of (payment) guarantee was in place that the contractor was

definitely going to get that (payment)..........‟

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Other comments:

Donal again stressed the need for education to increase the awareness of the benefits

of upgrading houses.

„There are people who can afford it but can‟t get their heads around

seeing that the initial outlay will have a payback in X amount of time.‟

Overall satisfaction with the SERVE project:

Do you think SERVE had a measurable positive impact

1. For contractor personally:

See below.

2. For the RE/EE contractors in general:

Donal thinks personally, and for contractors in general, the experience was very

educational. It was instrumental in raising awareness of the benefits of

complete, targeted retrofits and of the various house types and what was

required to upgrade them.

„The fact that you had to get the assessor out there

beforehand.....and you were letting people know what was

suitable for their house; and that‟s the most important part of

all of this, that you‟re getting done what is suitable for your

house.‟

Other comments:

Donal rates his satisfaction with the project as ‘quite good’ and was grateful for the

experience and work at the time. He maintains that the working principle of

comprehensive retrofitting was good.